Sunday, January 10, 2016

Astronaut Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom is inserted into his Liberty Bell 7 capsule on the morning of July 21, 1961. He would soon be embroiled in a controversy that lingers to this day. Photo Credit: NASA

In this installment of “Space Myths Busted,” I'll tackle a myth
that somehow still persists to this day despite many attempts to
debunk it: On July 21, 1961, shortly after splashdown, a panicked
Virgil I. “Gus” Grissom blew the hatch on his Liberty Bell 7
Mercury capsule shortly after an otherwise successful suborbital
spaceflight. A clearly freaked-out Grissom then commenced to flail
around in the water prior to being picked up by rescue helicopters.
Read more after the jump...

Sunday, January 3, 2016

From NASA: "An overhead view of the Skylab space station cluster in Earth orbit as
photographed from the Skylab 4 Command and Service Modules (CSM) during
the final fly-around by the CSM before returning home." Photo Credit: NASA

In the first of a series called "Space Myths Busted," I thought I'd take on the oft-reported myth that there was some kind of "strike" or "mutiny" in low-Earth orbit during the Skylab 4 mission, crewed by commander Gerald Carr, pilot William Pogue, and science pilot Ed Gibson. While the crew faced challenges due to being over-tasked early in the mission, nothing like a "mutiny" ever occurred, and with respect to the three crew members, it's time to set the record straight. Read more after the jump...